Family Care International and UNFPA conducted participatory research with girls, boys, their families and local leaders in three rural communities, and developed the A Better Future for Rural Girls: Manager's Briefing Kit. All of the content from this resource is available online in PDF.

A Price Too High to Bear, a research study conducted in Kenya by Family Care International in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), and the KEMRI-CDC Research and Public Health Collaboration, documents the financial and social costs of maternal death to families in a poor, remote community and the ways that these costs affect newborn survival, child health and education, and family well-being.

A technical brief summarizing the study's findings is available for download, along with two advocacy briefs that highlight the key messages.

This publication, available in English and French, provides guidance to national advocates and civil society organizations in conducting effective advocacy for the successful uptake of misoprostol for prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Through case studies and an Advocacy for Access Framework, this publication provides concrete examples to support misoprostol’s availability and use at the national level.

This checklist presents a set of tips and relevant resources and tools to help private sector health providers improve their knowledge, skills, and capacity to conduct advocacy in support of maternal health.

This toolkit provides guidance for national civil society organizations (CSOs) interested in establishing or strengthening an alliance in support of maternal health advocacy. The toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to working with partners in a national-level alliance to advocate for maternal health policy change. Divided into three major sections, each provides steps CSOs can take in order to:

Analyze the maternal health environment in order to decide if working with an alliance is advantageous;

Work with an alliance by either joining an established alliance or creating a new one; and

Plan advocacy activities taking into account the political context and ways an alliance can effectively reach decision makers.

Skilled maternity care is recognized as a critical key to reducing maternal mortality. Today in many developing countries, however, more than half of women go through childbirth without such care. These women suffer disproportionately from pregnancy and childbirth complications that, far too often, lead to death or serious disability. In 2000, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FCI launched the five-year Skilled Care Initiative, to improve pregnancy and childbirth care in more than 100 health facilities in four poor rural districts of Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania. This publication reports on qualitative research that gathered information on community member’s shared attitudes, values and beliefs about maternal health services.

Rangwe Health Centre in Kenya is one facility that has shown a remarkable change since the beginning of the Skilled Care Initiative. The facility is featured in our short film, “Changing Lives, Saving Lives.”

A set of seven briefs, available in English, French, and Spanish, that outline challenges and solutions for increasing the availability and use of three essential maternal health medicines (oxytocin, misoprostol and magnesium sulfate), drawing on lessons and experience from reproductive health supplies.

The Focus on 5 briefing cards, produced by Women Deliver in consultation with Family Care International, outline why decision-makers should prioritize saving mothers’ and newborns’ lives and the key investments they should make in order to achieve that goal. Designed for use by policymakers, civil society groups, and advocates, Focus on 5 details why the world needs to invest now in maternal, newborn, and reproductive health and the strategic actions needed to improve vital health services for mothers and their newborns in the developing world.

Flip chart addresses changes during puberty, STIs including HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, and unsafe abortion, as well as negotiating condom use, building healthy relationships, and communicating with parents.

These briefing cards, published in 2012 by FCI and Population Action International as part of The Integration Partnership, provide information on integrating AIDS, TB, and malaria services across the reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health continuum of care. Available in both English and French, they highlight how integration can strengthen health and community systems, save money, and empower women to access the services they need and deserve.

This CD-ROM, created by Family Care International and Ipas, is a comprehensive advocacy and information tool that includes everything needed to learn about unsafe abortion and make presentations on this topic.

This infographic highlights the critical role that midwives play in improving maternal and newborn health around the world. Midwives have a powerful voice in changing policies and practices that support the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of health services.

A government budget must be comprehensive and transparent to allow citizens to hold government accountable for managing public funds. This budget cycle calendar shows the key dates for the Kenyan Annual Budget Cycle at both the national and county levels and highlights the opportunities where citizens can be part of formulation and priority setting as well as the accountability processes.

This advocacy publication, produced in 2007 by FCI and UNFPA for the Campaign to End Fistula, presents promising practices and strategic recommendations for policy makers, programmers, and researchers seeking strengthen fistula prevention and treatment programmes in affected countries.

A toolkit with additional advocacy tools (communications/strategic messaging guide, detailed descriptions of promising practices, multimedia resources, and Powerpoint presentation) was published in CD-ROM format in 2010 — most of those tools are also available for download here.

In 2012, Family Care International (FCI) launched the Mobilizing Advocates from Civil Society (MACS) project in Burkina Faso and Kenya to bring together civil society organizations working in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) and to strengthen their capacity to advocate powerfully and effectively for health policies and programs that meet the needs of women and children. These case studies from Kenya and Burkina Faso detail the experiences and challenges the MACS alliances faced, while sharing lessons learned from the project overall.

This toolkit, available in English, French and Spanish, is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and capacity of midwives, and of their national midwifery associations, to conduct advocacy for positive policy change. using evidence published in The State of the World's Midwifery (SoWMy) 2014 report.

In 2012-2013, Family Care International conducted a mapping analysis in Uganda to gather information on the maternal health policy environment; the organizations, partnerships, and networks currently and potentially engaged in maternal health advocacy; and the advocacy goals, strategies, resources, and core messages being used. Through desk research, in-depth interviews with key informants, and focus group discussions, the mapping identifies advocacy priorities, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration.

In 2013, Family Care International conducted a mapping analysis in Zambia to gather information on the maternal health policy environment; the organizations, partnerships, and networks currently and potentially engaged in maternal health advocacy; and the advocacy goals, strategies, resources, and core messages being used. Through desk research and in-depth interviews with key informants, the mapping identifies advocacy priorities, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration.

In 2010 and 2011, Family Care International conducted mappings in five regions: Francophone West Africa, East Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South Asia. These mappings identified the major policy challenges and opportunities related to introducing and improving access to misoprostol for preventing and/or treating postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Each document is available in English; when relevant to the region, they are available in French and Spanish as well.

Developed by Family Care International and Gynuity Health Projects, the Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage Information Kit contains a range of informational publications and briefing cards onthe potential role of a widely available drug (misoprostol) in reducing deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death and disability in developing countries. All publications are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage: Questions and Answers for Policy Makers provides information about misoprostol’s critical role in preventing and treating postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage (PPH), one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Misoprostol, a medicine initially developed to prevent stomach ulcers, is often the best available option for preventing and treating PPH in many low-resource countries, and may be a woman’s only chance for surviving PPH.

This publication, available in English and French, presents case studies from three countries — Bangladesh, Nepal, and Zambia — that have introduced and scaled up the use of misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). These country examples highlight the essential role of high-level commitment and support in initiating and implementing national programs, and provide inspiration and guidance for policy makers and partners seeking to expand access to misoprostol for PPH.

FCI has released an Advocacy Toolkit for Programme Managers that carefully lays out the steps in designing and launching an advocacy strategy to ensure that existing government commitments are translated into concrete programs and services. The Advocacy Training Guide, a companion piece to the Toolkit, was developed to strengthen the skills of grassroots community-level groups, networks, and organizations to design and plan an advocacy campaign.

Designed to enhance post abortion client counseling and community education related to unsafe abortion in English-speaking Africa, this set of materials includes: a counseling/education flipchart, a prototype client brochure, and a user’s guide designed for health workers and program managers.

Nearly 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth annually, almost all of them in developing countries. After a systematic review of the evidence, WHO has developed guidelines on Preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in developing countries, which focus on key actions that aim to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies in developing countries. In 2012, in collaboration with WHO and UNFPA, FCI developed this advocacy toolkit, available in English, French, and Spanish, to promote the dissemination of the guidelines’ recommendations to policy makers and program planners globally. Designed for advocates, the toolkit encourages and enables evidence-based action among decision-makers, opinion leaders, medical personnel, researchers, and affected communities to prevent early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescent girls.

In 2013, the Kenya Constitution introduced a devolved system of government that aims to enhance access to health services by all Kenyans, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Within this new context of devolution, the implementation of health policy commitments will shift: some policy issues will continue to be addressed through national mechanisms while implementation of health policy issues will now be addressed at the county level with the full involvement of local policy makers and health officials.

Family Care International and the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) developed this policy brief to provide guidance to civil society advocates on policy and decision-making structures, and avenues and opportunities for advocacy, in a context where the health system is devolved.

Focuses on care during pregnancy, delivery, and the post-partum period, as well as signs of complications. Each of the 15 illustrations is accompanied by key information points and questions to encourage discussion. For use in face-to-face counseling and group education settings.

This policy brief, available in English and French, explores strategies to help governments and partners improve maternal health by expanding access to misoprostol for treatment and prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), one of the leading causes of maternal death.

Set of 9 easy to use reference cards covering key issues in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Each includes a definition, a quote from the ICPD Programme of Action or Fourth World Conference on Women, basic facts, and “areas for action.”

A comprehensive resource for individuals and organizations working to ensure that every woman has access to skilled care during childbirth. Contains a Policy Brief, Information Booklet, and Country Profiles. English, French, Spanish.

5-day training curriculum to improve the communication and interpersonal skills of health workers. Focuses on strengthening key skills such as active listening, using visual aids, and developing a client-responsive approach. Uses role plays and other practical approaches adapted to adult learners.

Skilled maternity care throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period is recognized as a critical key to reducing maternal mortality. Today in many developing countries, however, more than half of women go through childbirth without such care and these women suffer disproportionately from pregnancy and childbirth complications that, far too often, lead to death or serious disability. In 2000, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FCI launched the five-year Skilled Care Initiative, which improved pregnancy and childbirth care in more than 100 health facilities in four poor rural districts of Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The Lancet, a premiere health journal, produced two special editions in 2006 on the important topics of Maternal Survival and Sexual and Reproductive Health. FCI also produced an Executive Summary for the Maternal Survival Series.

Helps young people make informed decisions about their sexual lives by providing comprehensive information for adolescents on changes during puberty, sexuality and sexual health, pregnancy and contraception, STIs including HIV/ AIDS, sexual coercion and violence, substance abuse, building healthy relationships, communicating with parents, and planning for the future. The manual has been developed in fivelanguages and six different versions reflecting the regional contexts and the unique challenges facing adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.